


The Next Step

by WyattShepard



Series: Dungeons and Dragons [6]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-09
Updated: 2018-02-09
Packaged: 2019-03-15 22:07:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13622493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WyattShepard/pseuds/WyattShepard
Summary: The events that begin after the events of As the Dust Settles





	The Next Step

            Their ship stopped at one of the several islands in-between where they had sunk the cruise ship and the mainland. It was here that Adaar said farewell to his two allies; the cleric booking passage back to the mainland and the assassin mumbling something about returning to his master. When they both had gone Adaar turned to Garuda who was waiting patiently behind him.

            “Shall we take the rest of today off then? I heard one of the dockhands mention a festival,” the mage mentioned. Garuda cocked her head to the side.

            “What do humans do at festivals,” she asked simply earning a chuckle from her master.

            “That’s right, you’ve never been to one have you,” he asked, to which she shook her head in response. He allowed himself a rare smile.

            “Will there be combat,” She questioned. Adaar began strolling towards the center of the small port town with her in tow.

            “It’s possible, but let’s not go looking for any. Tonight, we celebrate babygirl,” the mage responded happily. He was always excited to share new experiences with her, and he counted himself lucky that there was a festival being held in this town.

            “Master, I have yet to see you celebrate. I was under the assumption that such an activity was beneath you,” She smirked.

            “Oh yes tease me if you must,” He responded.

They fell silent as the pair reached the festival proper. Adaar noticed that Garuda kept glancing around at everything while they walked and smiled again. He kept surprising himself, normally he was so stoic and reserved. Only his goal was important, but that driving ambition was taking a backseat lately. He enjoyed showing Garuda more of his world, and so far, she seemed eager to explore it. The first thing he did was purchase something that Garuda had never seen before.

“Here try some,” He said offering her a handful of something pink. She took the piece in her clawed hand and stared at it.

“You eat it,” the mage commented. One of her eyebrows raised in response.

“Master,” She asked after a moment.

“Hmm,” Adaar hummed.

“This is cotton.”

“Just trust me,” He said as he popped another piece into his mouth. Garuda shrugged and bit into her piece.   

“Master this is wonderful! What do you call this,” She exclaimed suddenly.

“It’s called cotton candy,” He explained as he paid the vendor, who he noticed looked terrified out of his mind. Adaar had to remind himself that Garuda tended to have that effect on people. It happened as they were passing by a drinking contest: a light blue dragon flew over the town, drawing the attention of nearly everyone, including Adaar and Garuda.

“Master,” She questioned quietly. Adaar simply stared in bewilderment. There was a great crashing sound as a deep red dragon rose to meet the blue one. They fought in the air for a moment before the blue one was thrown to the ground. The impact opened a fissure under part of the Inn and several people that were in the drinking contest fell into the darkness. The ground under Adaar’s feet gave way shortly after and he cried out in surprise.

“Garuda,” He yelped as she flared her wings.

She caught him about a second before he would have hit the ground. They were in what looked like a large cavern with the only one exit leading west down a corridor. He located a pile of corpses that had been the men from the drinking contest a little to the left. As Garuda touched down, however, one of them moaned painfully. Adaar noticed much of this man’s clothing was stained with oil, which sparked the mage’s interest. He had heard of men combining technology and magic, but never gave it much merit himself. The body on top of the pile suddenly pushed his way into a sitting position and noticed the pair.

“Are you alright there,” Adaar asked as Garuda set him on the ground. The man gave him a weak grin.

“Been through worse than this, lad,” came his response. The mage noticed a thick accent that most likely came from somewhere in the north.

“Adaar, you can call me Adaar. This is Garuda, she’s something like my familiar,” He said as he helped the man shuffle over to lean against one of the stalagmites.

 “Theodor, or Theo if you prefer,” the engineer responded. He had long dark hair held into a tight bun and light blue eyes. It also looked like his leg was broken. Adaar bit his lower lip and glanced down the corridor on the other side of the room before turning back to Theo.

“Stay here, Garuda and I will see if we can find some help for you,” He said, earning a short nod from the engineer.

“Not like I can go anywhere. I guess I’ll write my autobiography while I wait,” Theo responded. Adaar stared at him for a moment, unsure whether this man was serious or not. When he produced a tablet from his bag, he was certain the man was serious. The tablet in his hands produced a low-light glow as he took out a small stick and began scrawling as if he was writing. The mage glanced at Garuda and shrugged.

“Right, just try to stay hidden if anything comes, though since we will run into anything first, you should be fine,” Adaar told Theo, before setting off down the tunnel with Garuda following close behind.


End file.
